adopts

Adopts is the third-person singular present tense of the verb adopt. The verb has several related senses: to take into one's family through a legal process (adopt a child); to accept or take up a policy, idea, standard, or practice; and to choose to use something or to assume a role or characteristic. The noun form is adoption.

Etymology: adopt derives from Old French adopter, from Latin adoptare, from adopto meaning "take to oneself." The sense of taking in a person through legal means developed in the Middle Ages and spread into modern usage.

Usage and grammar: adopts is transitive and requires a direct object. It can take a person (They adopt a child) or a nonpersonal object (The company adopts a new policy). The passive form is adopted (A new policy was adopted). Common collocations include adopt a stance, adopt a method, adopt technology.

Legal adoption: In family law, adoption is a formal process that creates and recognizes parental rights and responsibilities. Rules vary by jurisdiction but typically involve consent, background checks, and court approval. Adoptions can be domestic or international, open or closed, and may affect inheritance and familial relationships.

See also: adoption, adoptive, adopter.